Tradehand ranked first: best trade software with AI customer support
"AI customer support" means different things across these six products. Tradehand suits a UK sole trader who wants the Tradehand business number to ring the saved staff phone first, then a quote from their rates held when approval is required, an agreed booking, and chasing until the invoice is paid, nothing is due, or they pause it. Jobber's Receptionist can book into the calendar. ServiceM8 advertises an AI Phone Agent plus quote and payment follow-up. Powered Now's pricing page says the receptionist books into the diary; its receptionist page says full account sync is coming soon. Commusoft and Tradify use AI for admin. On the pages checked 15 September 2026, they do not market live call answering.
Written for UK sole traders and small trade businesses. Prices checked 15 September 2026; later checks dated beside the claim. Jobber's pricing page, read 29 September 2026, mixed monthly, annual and a short offer, so this page does not quote a fixed Core price.
The short answer
Tradehand suits a UK sole trader who wants call, text, email, WhatsApp and web chat handled, then a quote, an agreed booking and invoice chasing, on a paid plan. Jobber suits a North American team whose Receptionist books into the calendar. Tradify suits someone who will keep answering and wants two-way Xero.
- Best overall
- Tradehand · call, text, email, WhatsApp and web chat, then a quote from your rates, an agreed booking and chasing. Free includes the manual tools and the Assistant with £1 of usage a month: 5% of each payment Tradehand takes, card fees included. Paid plans from £19 a month, billed yearly. They add automation and more usage. Basic payment fees on your own jobs: From 1.25% + 20p, deducted automatically when the customer pays. Grow and Advanced have lower Tradehand payment fees.
- Best in North America
- Jobber · Receptionist answers and books into the calendar, included on Plus and an add-on below. No fixed Core price: the 29 September 2026 pricing page mixed monthly, annual and a short offer.
- Best free starting point
- ServiceM8 · free up to 30 jobs a month, with an AI Phone Agent available inside ServiceM8 Phone from £15/mo.
- Best out-of-hours cover
- Powered Now · pricing page (29 September 2026) says the receptionist books into the diary. The receptionist page says full account sync is coming soon.
- Best for larger teams
- Commusoft · AI:den writes the job reports and drafts the emails, and a customer portal comes with it, but nothing answers the phone.
- Best if you still answer
- Tradify · £34–£44 per user a month for the tidiest quoting and invoicing here, plus two-way Xero sync.
Comparison at a glance
Ranked on what actually happens when a customer gets in touch: does the software answer live, what does it do with the job next, and what does it cost.
| Software | Answers live? | Then what | Price | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1. Tradehand | Answers live?Yes, 24/7, as your own business | Then whatAnswers call, text, email, WhatsApp and web chat, then quotes, books and chases | PriceFree, or paid plans from £19 a month, billed yearly | Best forUK sole traders who keep missing calls on the tools and want the whole job handled |
2. Jobber | Answers live?Yes, Receptionist answers calls and texts | Then whatBooks jobs into the calendar; you build the quote | PriceReceptionist included on Plus and an add-on below. No fixed Core price quoted (29 September 2026) | Best forteams working in the US or Canada |
3. ServiceM8 | Answers live?AI Phone Agent on higher ServiceM8 Phone tiers | Then whatQuote Follow-up and Automated Payment Follow-ups on every plan | PriceFree up to 30 jobs/mo, then £25–£269/mo; ServiceM8 Phone from £15/mo | Best foriPhone traders who will pay for ServiceM8 Phone |
4. Powered Now | Answers live?Yes, on the separately bought AI Receptionist | Then whatPricing page says it books into the diary; receptionist page says full sync is coming soon | PriceBusiness £28 for one user; Professional £32 and Premium £40 per user a month, ex VAT; receptionist £29 or £39 (29 September 2026) | Best forcertificate-heavy work that wants automatic chasing on Premium |
| 5.Commusoft | Answers live?No, AI:den drafts replies and reports | Then whatWrites job reports and emails; outbound reminder calls coming; customer portal | PriceNo prices published; quoted per user on request | Best forlarger field service teams wanting a customer portal |
6. Tradify | Answers live?No, you answer the phone yourself | Then whatQuoting, invoicing, scheduling and Quote & Invoice Reminders | Price£34–£44 per user per month | Best fortidy quoting and invoicing with two-way Xero sync |
The ranking, one by one
The same six in ranked order, each with its published price, its honest pros and cons, and who it fits.
1.
Tradehand
Our pickAnswers every channel, then quotes, books and chases
Best for UK sole traders who keep missing calls on the tools and want the whole job handledFree, or paid plans from £19 a month, billed yearly
- Answers live
- Yes, 24/7, as your own business
- Then what
- Answers call, text, email, WhatsApp and web chat, then quotes, books and chases
- Price
- Free, or paid plans from £19 a month, billed yearly
Tradehand pros
- Answers call, text, email, WhatsApp and web chat, day or night
- Quotes the job, books it and chases the invoice after answering
- Unlimited team members on every plan
- Speaks as your own business, on your own number
Tradehand cons
- Built for UK trade businesses, so it is no use outside the UK
- No two-way accounting sync for VAT-registered companies yet
- Newer than Tradify, Jobber and Commusoft, with a shorter track record
Tradehand is software with an assistant in it, not an app you operate. Tradehand answers every call, text, email, WhatsApp and web chat itself, day or night, in your own name, then quotes the job, books it into your diary and chases the invoice once the work is done. Manual certificates are included on Free. Free includes the manual tools and the Assistant with £1 of usage a month: 5% of each payment Tradehand takes, card fees included. Paid plans from £19 a month, billed yearly. They add automation and more usage. Basic payment fees on your own jobs: From 1.25% + 20p, deducted automatically when the customer pays. Grow and Advanced have lower Tradehand payment fees. A call to the Tradehand business number rings the saved staff phone first. A missed call from a mobile gets one text in the business name. A missed call from a landline reaches the assistant. Tradehand does not take over a number the business already uses. A quote is drafted from the business's rates and held when approval is required. An agreed booking goes in the diary. Chasing an outstanding invoice stops when it is paid, nothing is due, or you pause it. Tradehand suits a UK sole trader who misses calls on the tools. Tradify below suits someone who will answer and wants two-way Xero.
2.
Jobber
A mature AI Receptionist that answers and books
Best for teams working in the US or CanadaReceptionist included on Plus and an add-on below. No fixed Core price quoted (29 September 2026)
- Answers live
- Yes, Receptionist answers calls and texts
- Then what
- Books jobs into the calendar; you build the quote
- Price
- Receptionist included on Plus and an add-on below. No fixed Core price quoted (29 September 2026)
Jobber pros
- Jobber's Receptionist answers calls and texts around the clock and books jobs
- Transcripts, live text monitoring and keyword escalation are included
- Large, well-established platform with deep scheduling and payments
Jobber cons
- Jobber is priced in US dollars and built North-America-first
- Checked 29 September 2026, the pricing page mixes monthly, annual and a short offer, so no fixed Core price is quoted here
- The Receptionist books the job. This page does not claim it builds the quote
Jobber's Receptionist, powered by Jobber AI, answers calls and texts around the clock and books jobs into the calendar, with transcripts, live text monitoring and keyword escalation. It is included on Plus and sold as an add-on on the plans below. Checked 29 September 2026, the pricing page mixes monthly, annual and a short offer, so this page does not quote a fixed Core price. Jobber is built North-America-first and priced in US dollars, so it suits teams working in the US or Canada. A UK sole trader who wants the Assistant on Free and automation and more usage on paid plans is the Tradehand case above.
Sources: Jobber: AI Receptionist for Home Service Businesses, Jobber: Pricing (Core, Connect, Grow, Plus; AI Receptionist add-on)
3.
ServiceM8
An AI Phone Agent, sold inside a separate phone product
Best for iPhone traders who will pay for ServiceM8 PhoneFree up to 30 jobs/mo, then £25–£269/mo; ServiceM8 Phone from £15/mo
- Answers live
- AI Phone Agent on higher ServiceM8 Phone tiers
- Then what
- Quote Follow-up and Automated Payment Follow-ups on every plan
- Price
- Free up to 30 jobs/mo, then £25–£269/mo; ServiceM8 Phone from £15/mo
ServiceM8 pros
- ServiceM8 has a genuinely free plan covering 30 jobs a month
- Quote Follow-up and Payment Follow-up automation on every plan
- The AI Phone Agent answers calls like a staff member
ServiceM8 cons
- The AI Phone Agent needs ServiceM8 Phone, a separate product from £15/mo
- ServiceM8 bills by jobs a month, so a busy month costs more
- The ServiceM8 Android app, ServiceM8 Lite, does less than the iPhone app
ServiceM8 markets an AI Phone Agent inside ServiceM8 Phone, its separate phone product, on the higher tiers, and it answers calls like a staff member. Core ServiceM8 also sends Quote Follow-up and Automated Payment Follow-ups on every plan. ServiceM8 UK publishes a free plan covering 30 jobs a month, then Starter at £25, Growing at £59, Premium at £119 and Premium Plus at £269 a month, with ServiceM8 Phone from £15 a month on top. ServiceM8 suits iPhone-based traders happy to pay for that phone add-on.
Sources: ServiceM8: Introducing the ServiceM8 Phone Agent, ServiceM8 UK: Pricing (free plan up to 30 jobs a month; ServiceM8 Phone add-on), ServiceM8: Quote Follow-Up Automation, ServiceM8: Payment Follow-Up Automation
4.
Powered Now
Add-on receptionist; pricing page says it books into the diary
Best for certificate-heavy work that wants automatic chasing on PremiumBusiness £28 for one user; Professional £32 and Premium £40 per user a month, ex VAT; receptionist £29 or £39 (29 September 2026)
- Answers live
- Yes, on the separately bought AI Receptionist
- Then what
- Pricing page says it books into the diary; receptionist page says full sync is coming soon
- Price
- Business £28 for one user; Professional £32 and Premium £40 per user a month, ex VAT; receptionist £29 or £39 (29 September 2026)
Powered Now pros
- Powered Now's AI Receptionist answers out of hours and texts back missed callers
- Automatic Invoice & Quote Chasing is included on the Premium tier
- Certificates are included from the Professional tier up
Powered Now cons
- The AI Receptionist is an add-on, not part of a plan
- The receptionist page says full account sync is coming soon, and the current enquiry arrives as a phone notification
- Professional and Premium are per user, not a single flat bill
Powered Now covers quoting, invoicing, scheduling and certificates. Its pricing page, read 29 September 2026, shows Business at £28 for one user, Professional at £32 and Premium at £40 per user a month, excluding VAT, with certificates from Professional and Automatic Invoice & Quote Chasing on Premium. The receptionist add-on on that page is £29 a month for speech or £39 for speech and text, and the pricing page says it books into the diary. The receptionist page says full account sync is coming soon, and the current enquiry arrives as a phone notification.
Sources: Powered Now: Pricing (Business, Professional, Premium), Powered Now: Receptionist (Speech £29/mo, Speech + Text £39/mo; full sync coming soon)
5.
Commusoft
AI that does the admin, not the answering
Best for larger field service teams wanting a customer portalNo prices published; quoted per user on request
- Answers live
- No, AI:den drafts replies and reports
- Then what
- Writes job reports and emails; outbound reminder calls coming; customer portal
- Price
- No prices published; quoted per user on request
Commusoft pros
- Commusoft's AI:den writes job reports and drafts replies to long customer emails
- A self-service customer portal comes as standard
- Built for larger field service teams with real depth
Commusoft cons
- Commusoft does not answer incoming customer calls today
- Commusoft publishes no prices, so you cannot compare without a sales call
- Heavier than a sole trader needs
Commusoft's AI:den writes job reports, summarises long customer emails and drafts replies, and a coming AI:den+ voice agent makes outbound service-reminder calls. Commusoft also offers a self-service customer portal. Commusoft does not answer incoming customer calls today, and it publishes no prices on its UK plans page, so a quote means a sales call. It is built for larger field service teams rather than live answering for a sole trader.
Sources: Commusoft: Ai:den, the intelligent copilot for field service management, Commusoft UK: Plans (no prices published)
6.
Tradify
Tidy admin AI, but you are still the one who answers
Best for tidy quoting and invoicing with two-way Xero sync£34–£44 per user per month
- Answers live
- No, you answer the phone yourself
- Then what
- Quoting, invoicing, scheduling and Quote & Invoice Reminders
- Price
- £34–£44 per user per month
Tradify pros
- Tradify's SmartRead reads a photo of a supplier invoice and pulls out the costs
- SmartWrite drafts customer-ready descriptions and messages
- Two-way Xero sync, which most of this list does not have
Tradify cons
- Tradify does not answer customer phone calls at all
- Priced per user, so a second pair of hands doubles the bill
- Its AI is admin help, not customer support
Tradify focuses on quoting, invoicing and scheduling, with Quote & Invoice Reminders and its SmartTools AI: SmartRead pulls costs out of a photographed supplier invoice, and SmartWrite drafts customer-ready descriptions and messages. Tradify UK publishes Lite at £34, Pro at £37 and Plus at £44 per user a month. Tradify does not answer customer phone calls, so you still pick up yourself. It is a tidy choice if you want neat quoting and invoicing and are happy being the one who answers.
Sources: Tradify: SmartTools, powered by AI (SmartRead and SmartWrite), Tradify UK: Pricing (Lite, Pro, Plus per user per month)
See how your trade business stacks up against local competitors
Blake FolgadoCo-founder, Tradehand
Sources
Prices checked 15 September 2026; later checks dated beside the claim.
Jobber: AI Receptionist for Home Service Businesses
ServiceM8 UK: Pricing (free plan up to 30 jobs a month; ServiceM8 Phone add-on)
ServiceM8: Introducing the ServiceM8 Phone Agent
Powered Now: Pricing (Business, Professional, Premium)
Commusoft: Ai:den, the intelligent copilot for field service management
Tradify: SmartTools, powered by AI (SmartRead and SmartWrite)
Blake Folgado
Blake is a co-founder of Tradehand, a UK trades marketplace More from Blake
